biology Archives

This figure shows how a gorilla and a human to grip and move an object. The dots indicate positions in which the object can be gripped. (Yale University)

Better Understanding the Human Grip

April 21, 2015September 2, 2015 Science Connectedanthropology, biology, biomechanics, engineering, evolution, robotics

The human hand is an evolutionary wonder: 26 percent of the bones in our bodies are in our hands. Now, scientists are coming to better understand the grip and special grasping ability of humans and other primates. In a new study, a research team found that even the oldest known human ancestors may have had precision gripping skills comparable to modern humans. This includes Australopithecus afarensis, a creature that predates the first known stone tools by about a million years. Manual dexterity is traditionally viewed as a key adaptation that…

Isle Royale Wolves: Only three wolves appear to remain at Isle Royale National Park. (Rolf Peterson)

Environment Zoology

Only Three Isle Royale Wolves Remain

April 20, 2015March 21, 2021 Science Connectedbiodiversity, biology, climate change, ecology, environment, genetics, wolves

Only three Isle Royale Wolves remain, according the the latest count. Find out why, and if anything can be done to save the wolf population.

Biology Science Videos Zoology

Skull of the Olinguito: Shelf Life Episode 4

April 15, 2015April 15, 2015 Science Connectedbiology, evolution, fossils, mammals, nature, shelf life, species

The Skull of the Olinguito This video, fourth in the Shelf Life series, reveals how scientists in the field found the skull of a new species and identified it as the elusive olinguito. Thousands of new animal species are discovered every year, some living and some extinct. Researchers regularly make expeditions to the far-flung corners of the globe in search of new species, ranging from the single-celled organisms found in pools of volcanic sulfur (or even in your own stomach), to deep-sea organisms and larger animals like monkeys and birds.…

Male and female European green woodpeckers (Steven Spence)

Environment Zoology

Yaffle: Meet the European Green Woodpecker

April 13, 2015April 28, 2022 Science Connectedbiology, birds, nature photography, wildlife photography, woodpecker

By Steven Spence “Yaffle” was one of the English folk names given to the European green woodpecker (German Grünspecht; Latin Picus viridis) due to its distinctive, laughing call. The European green woodpecker spends most of its time foraging on the ground instead of pecking holes in trees as most other woodpecker species do. The bird primarily eats ants because its tongue is well adapted for this, being 10cm long and sticky (see this short video for a view of the bird’s impressive tongue). This woodpecker’s tongue is so long, in…

Polar Bears: Tasul the polar bear (Oregon Zoo)

Biology Environment Zoology

Polar Bears Are Struggling to Find Food

April 7, 2015April 4, 2021 Science Connectedbiology, climate change, marine biology, nutrition, wildlife

Find out what is happening to the polar bears: As the arctic ice melts, polar bears must look for food on land, and there isn’t enough.

Endangered Primates: Researcher Gonedele Sere (left) holds a cocoa plant found at an illegal farm in the Dassioko Forest Reserve in Ivory Coast (Photo by W. Scott McGraw, Courtesy of Ohio State University)

Biology Environment Zoology

Illegal Cocoa Farms Threaten Primates

April 2, 2015April 4, 2021 Science Connectedagriculture, anthropology, biology, farming

When a team of researchers set out to count the endangered primates in Ivory Coast national parks and forest reserves, they expected to find monkeys. Instead they found that most of the protected areas had been deforested and turned into illegal cocoa farms. The team surveyed 23 protected areas in West Africa and found about three-quarters of the land in each area was being used for cocoa production. Most of the trees and the monkeys that lived in them were gone. Bitter Chocolate: Illegal Cocoa Farms “The world’s demand for…

Biology Science Videos Zoology

Shelf Life, Episode 2: Turtles and Taxonomy

April 1, 2015March 30, 2015 Science Connectedbiology, nature, taxonomy, turtles

About Turtles and Taxonomy Don’t have time to visit the American Museum of Natural History? We’ve got your back! EH Science invites you to take a virtual trip behind the scenes of New York’s famous museum. In this, the second episode of Shelf Life, the museum’s new original video series, you can walk in the shoes of a research scientist and explore the enormous collection of specimens, many of which are not on public display. Enjoy Turtles and Taxonomy! Shelf Life is a collection for curious minds—opening doors, pulling out…

Biology Paleontology Science Videos Zoology

Shelf Life Episode 1: 33 Million Things

March 25, 2015September 4, 2015 Science Connectedbiodiversity, biology, evolution, paleontology

About Shelf Life Episode 1: 33 Million Things Can’t get to New York to visit the American Museum of Natural History? No problem! EH Science invites you to take a virtual trip behind the scenes. In this the first episode of the museum’s brand new original series, Shelf Life, you can walk in the shoes of a research scientist and explore the enormous collection of specimens, many of which aren’t on public display. Shelf Life is a video series for curious minds—opening doors, pulling out drawers, and taking the lids off some…

Environment Science and Art Zoology

Winter Bees, First Visitors

March 16, 2015September 4, 2015 Science Connectedanimals, bees, biology, ecology, environment

This photo of a winter bee collecting pollen, called “First Visitors,” is the work of Germany-based photographer Steven Spence. Here is what he has to say about the photo: Friday, I had my first visit from a bee this year. Right now all that is in blossom around my place are crocuses, but that seems to be good enough for the first bees of the year. Bees born at different times of year have different life-cycles. This is a winter bee, which can live longer than the spring and summer…

3D reconstruction of the tetrapod skull. Top image: Right facial skeleton and skull roof shown in "exploded" view to show how the bones fit together. Center image: Left side of the cranium (braincase omitted) is shown in internal view. Bottom image: Right lower jaw in "exploded" view to illustrate sutural morphology. Individual bones shown in various colors. (Porro et al.)

Biology Paleontology

Early Tetrapod Skull Looks like Crocodile

March 12, 2015September 4, 2015 Science Connectedarchaeology, biology, ecology, evolution, paleontology

Our 360 million-year-old tetrapod ancestors may have been more like modern crocodiles than previously thought, according to a new 3D skull reconstruction from the University of Bristol, UK. Acanthostega gunnari was a “four-footed” vertebrate, also known as a tetrapod, that invaded land during one of the great evolutionary transitions in Earth’s history, 380-360 million years ago. Tetrapods evolved from lobe-finned fish and display a number of adaptations that helped them survive on land. “These new analyses provide fresh clues about the evolution of the jaws and feeding system as the…